Morelle out

Joe Morelle will step down as chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee when his term ends in September. He made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday morning.

Members of the county Democratic Committee members will elect a new chair after Morelle steps down, although Morelle refused to speculate on who that person could be.

Morelle became party chair in May 2005, when Democrats were struggling financially and bitterly divided among different factions, he said.

Morelle said he tried to bring a sense of purpose and direction to the organization, worked to improve fund raising, and moved the party into a new headquarters.

And Democrats' countywide enrollment advantage has grown. In 2005, Democrats had about 8,000 more people enrolled than Republicans, according to records from the State Board of Elections. As of April 2014, that margin had grown to approximately 46,000 voters.

"Our party is on the ascendancy," Morelle said.

Morelle said he's stepping down because of his new duties as the State Assembly's majority leader. His decision is not the result of the 2013 mayoral election, where he backed incumbent Tom Richards over eventual winner Lovely Warren, he said.